The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1887-03-17
E FREAK OF NATURE,
And the Curious Norwegian Legend Con-
nected Herewith.

The first morning we sighted the lit
tie island Mountain of Lecko. whose
stony outlines are those of a giantess
turned to stone. and miles beyond we
came 10 the Island of Torghaetta,
which is the most wonderful freak of
Nature along the Norwegian coast We
saw it from afar as a giants hat float
ing on the water, huge crown and
brim of bare granite. the brim rising
well above the water and the crown
more than 800 feet high. pierced nearly
at the top with hole that runs through
The granite crown like tunnel. Sail
ing toward it on the placid blue water,
the eye came in line with the tunnel
and We saw straight through it to the
sky bcvond. This window through the
mountain was reached by long climb
from the other side, and when we reach
ed the opening in the mountain there
was view through it rs through tele-
scope of the sea with score of islets be-
yond. The sides of the tunnel are rs
square and true as If they had been
blasted ont by miner, ane beginning
with a height of sixty-two feet the floor
drops until at the lower end the yaalted
passage is over 200 feet in height, The
word torghaetta means - market hat,
such as is worn by the peasants, now
and in the age of legends was worn by
tic bad brother of the giantess Of Lecko.
The brother had Intercepted the mes
sengers from the giantcss' lover, Hest
mand, and kept the pair apart for so
long a time that the lover, finally en-
ragged, Shot an arrow at the brother
while he was in bathing one day and
pierced his hat and skull both. The
arrows flight was something like 100
miles from Hestmand's bow to the foot
of the giantess, where it finally fell,
and she seeing the light through the
aperture in her brothers hat, turned
him and Hcstmand and herself all to
stone in her despair. The trio are now
chief objects of interest along this
stretch of coast. the natives lift their hats
in mock reverence to the giantess as
they pass by, and the tourist tiutters the
leaves of his red-guide book, and put
ting his finger impressiveiy on the page
recites the tradition and the measure
meuts to the nearest ear. The tourist
steamers always stop TO land passen-
gers who want to climb up to the tun-
mel. and the women and children from
the neighboring farms go with pitchers
of milk TO sell to the brcathiess climb
ers, on the way. Behind several of the
largest bowlders that We rounded on
the upward climb stood women with
trays of glasses filed with milk; women
as still, slolid. and impassiye as if the
giantess had turned them to stone as
we'll, all fiaxen-headed- biue-eyed, and
With the universal headgear of the
country "A pointed handkerchief
drawn tightly over the back of the head
and tied under the chin. At the en-
trance of the tunnel a man had estab-
lished himself with bench for a count
er. on which he displayed battered old
silver mugs, cups and spoons, silver
rings ana ornaments. which constitute
the stock in trade of half the curio shops
in Norway. for the reason that the
peasants have always turned their mon
-ey into sach things instead OF boarding
it in the plain coins.-Noracay Litter tn
81. LoNlS Gio6c-DcmocrGt.